The most common complaint I hear from job seekers is this: “I’m sending tons of resumes out and no one is calling me back.”
I know how frustrating this can be from personal experience. I’ve been there myself back before I had my own business. You see the perfect vacancy – you just know you have all the right skills for it – and you are sure they will call you as soon as they see your resume. So when the phone doesn’t ring, you wonder what on earth happened. Did your resume get through? Is it trapped in a spam filter? Is the recruiter just too stupid to see how great you are?
But actually, the answer is usually pretty simple. They didn’t call you back because they don’t think you’re right for the job.
“But I am!” I hear you cry. “I’m perfect for it!” I believe you, really I do. But trust me, your resume isn’t communicating that. If it was, you’d have an interview lined up already.
I know this because, having spent years hiring, I know how desperate recruiter and managers are to find the perfect fit for the vacancy. They want this PIA off their desk so they can get other stuff done. When they see a resume that looks just right, they act immediately. If they’re not acting immediately, they don’t think you’re a good fit.
And since we know you are a good fit, the problem has to be one of communication. (If you’re applying to jobs where you’re not a good fit, then you won’t get an answer and nothing I say can help. Stop doing that! It’s a waste of everyone’s time).
So if you’re not getting responses to your resume, scrap it and start again. Study job postings, identify the important themes, and then craft a resume that addresses them. If you need help, check out my free resume writing course. No spam – just a series of emails that will help you improve your resume right away.
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